Ndalichako: Sub-standard colleges must be shut down

THE Government has reiterated that it will continue to close colleges that don’t meet the required qualifications for conducting higher learning courses.

The stance was voiced by the Minister for Education, Science, Technology and Vocational Training, Dr Joyce Ndalichako. She was speaking during the launch of Kilimanjaro Region’s UNI Life Campus Programme.

In a speech read on her behalf by the Deputy Minister, Mr William Tate Ole-Nasha, Dr Ndalichako said the move was driven by the government’s determination to improve the quality of education.

She stressed that government was eager to produce well qualified and competent professionals. “The government is determined to controlling the quality of education in the country and one of the ways of attaining the goal is to close down substandard institutions,” she said. Dr Ndalichako also identified three factors that she said hindered students’ efforts while pursuing their studies.

“The factors include the misuse of information technology, some students being obsessed with luxurious lifestyles, and involvement in political violence. If students fail to understand these factors and abstain from them, their academic ambitions, as well as career prospects, will be ruined,” she said.

The UNI Life founder, Ms Esther Mmasi, explained that the programme has been established with the intention of addressing challenges which students faced at higher learning institutions while pursuing their studies